Industry Academia Partnership Programme
Under its remit as a delivery partner of the Newton Fund, the Royal Engineering Academy has partnered with the Office for Higher Education Commission and the Thailand Research Fund to strengthen capacity and develop capabilities within Thai engineering higher education and research institutions to enhance their engineering education, research and innovation output through strengthening industry linkages and leveraging UK expertise. The Programme is based upon the premise that strategic linkages between industry and academia can improve quality and foster innovation and entrepreneurship within engineering, in turn enhancing employability of graduates and boosting economic development through application-inspired research and innovation.
Through this Programme the Academy aims to support case studies of excellence in bilateral collaboration which in themselves will generate significant long term benefit, as well as produce models replicable by others and generate lessons which can help inform bilateral and national-level higher education, research and innovation policy. For more information on the Programme, please view the Programme Brochure.
THIS PROGRAMME IS NOW OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS
Types of activities supported
This call offers financial support for travel, subsistence and salary support costs related to visits and exchanges that support collaborative activities amongst industry and academic partners in Thailand and the UK. Under this call we will support proposals that fit with one or more of the IAPP’s identified outcome areas:
- Enhanced industry input into engineering curricula and teaching in Thai universities to improve the quality and uptake of practical engineering skills and help develop a talent pipeline for emerging and/ or currently skill-scarce industries
- Develop new partnerships and strengthen bilateral collaboration in engineering research and knowledge-sharing between industry and academia counterparts to develop new capabilities within Thai universities
- Formation of deep, strategic bilateral partnerships between industry and academia around application-inspired engineering research and innovation which aims to solve economic and social development challenges faced by Thailand or globally
- Improved industry-academia interface to help systemically foster deeper engagement amongst actors in the innovation eco-systems of both countries and create different models of industry-academic engagement for wider sharing and adoption
The lead applicant will be an individual at a Thai university which must propose a means of collaboration with co-applicants that meet the above-identified Programme outcome areas. Co-applicants must include at least one local industry partner and at least one UK university or research institution partner. Additional partners are not obliged but are encouraged, especially the involvement of UK industry partners. Industry partners are defined broadly and may be institutions of any size within private, public or NGO sectors.
Applications aligned to Thailand 4.0 strategy in action for strengthening competitiveness of industry in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) are particularly encouraged.
Finance and Timeframe
This call offers grants of up to £50,000 to support travel, subsistence and salary support costs related to conducting collaborative activities amongst industry and academic partners in Partner Countries and the UK. The grant value requested must be at least 50% matched in funding or in-kind resources by the applying consortia. Additional matched funding above 50% will be viewed positively, being further evidence of the value placed on the collaboration and its potential for impact.
As a result of the call, a series of grants in the range of GBP £10,000 to GBP £50,000 will be issued. The project duration will not exceed 24 months, including all project activities and final reporting. The proposed start date for the project must be within April 2019 and all projects, including submission of reports, must be completed by end of April 30 2021. 80% of the award amount will be given up front with the remaining 20% on completion of a satisfactory final report.
Please note that successful applications can be awarded funding in either of two ways:
- Funding to be awarded to a single partner which can either be the lead Indian university OR the lead UK academic institution
- The award can be split between the lead Indian university AND the lead UK academic institution as per the budget for each country
In either case the recipients of grant monies will be expected to provide all parties with the grant resources to enable the programme of activities to take place as per the programme budget submitted to the Academy. Partnering universities should reach agreement regarding who the grant recipient should be before the application is submitted. Evidence of such will be required at the contractual stage.
How to apply
Applications can only be submitted by the lead institution and must be submitted via the Academy's online grants system. Applicants should ensure they read the guidance notes which detail the different materials needed for the application before submitting their application.
All applicants are invited to submit their proposals via the Academy's online grant system before 12pm (GMT) on 12th December, 2018.
A link to the system can be found below as well as Guidance Notes for completing your application online.
- Industry Academia Partnership Programme guidance notes
- Application form (via online grant system - you must first register with the system and create a profile). After logging in to the system, you should be presented with the “Instructions” screen and should select Industry Academia Partnership Programme 18-19.
- Applicant Budget Template
For any questions concerning the programme, please contact Shaarad Sharma or the International team. .
*The EEC consists of the three Eastern provinces Rayong, Chonburi, and Chachoengsao with a combined area of 13,285 square kilometers. In the future, the EEC will grow into a modern metropolitan, a hub of trade and investment, a center for regional transportation and logistics, a significant source for human resources, a tourist attraction and most importantly, the most modern Gateway to Asia.